Who is Raizcorp?
Established in 2000, Raizcorp was created to grow and develop entrepreneurs in different contexts and in different stages of their lifecycles. Raizcorp has since evolved into different divisions that service the specific needs of entrepreneurs and those who support them.
Raizcorp is according to The Economist, the only genuine business incubator in Africa. However, we prefer to think of ourselves as a Prosperator™ rather than an incubator. We provide business support for enthusiastic and growth-hungry entrepreneurs, offering them a platform that fosters learning, and guidance that can be translated into practical business success.
Who We Support
What We Do
How We Do It
Entrepreneurs
Pre-incubation programmes
Incubation programmes
Acceleration programmes
Equity partnerships
Training
Guiding (mentoring)
Market access
Access to finance
Access to infrastructure
Entrepreneurial essentials
Equity investment (for our
Partner Elite entrepreneurs)
Corporates
B-BBEE scorecard (ESD, SED & SLP)
Entrepreneurial culture
Innovation
Client intimacy
Client acquisition
Thought leadership
Entrepreneurial development programmes
Talks and workshops
Entrepreneurial products
Government & DFIS
Innovation centres
Incubator networks
Entrepreneurship
Policy development
Consulting services
Construction of innovation
hubs and incubators
Delivery of entrepreneurial
development programmes
Our philosophy
Although Raizcorp resists the term “social enterprise” it has often been described as one owing to its philosophical approach to all new business. Raizcorp will not pursue any new opportunities unless the two criteria below are satisfied:
Our purpose is to support and develop high-potential entrepreneurs and those within the entrepreneurial ecosystem to become sustainable and highly profitable. We will not pursue any potential new business that does not provide the opportunity for creating genuine impact. Impact could mean sustainability of the business, it could mean increased employment, it could mean improved skills, or it could mean improved profitability.
It is our strong philosophical belief is that only for-profit organisations can authentically support entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial businesses to become profitable. Raizcorp is therefore a proudly for-profit organisation and we pursue only those opportunities that are able to generate sustainable profit in the medium to long run. One hundred per cent of the profit we generate is reinvested into growing the business so that we can sustainably create an increasing amount of impact in the world.
Contexts in which we operate
Raizcorp’s programmes are offered in three different socio-economic environments.
Urban
The urban context usually comprises high levels of economic activity, high levels of available skills and a complex supporting entrepreneurial ecosystem. As such, the Raizcorp models generally used in the urban context are Prosperators, Technibators and schools.
Peri-urban
These are usually smaller towns with low yet significant economic activity, a lower abundance of skills and a rudimentary entrepreneurial support ecosystem. Raizcorp generally makes use of its Prosperator, Beacon and school models in this type of context.
